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Women’s better memories may delay Alzheimer’s diagnosis by years Thu, 21 May 2026 13:00:38 +0100 Women appear cognitively normal for almost three years longer than men after their brains start to develop Alzheimer’s disease, making it harder to diagnose and preventing early treatment

This is the most underrated sci-fi film franchise of the 21st century Wed, 20 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 There’s unexpected news of a fifth movie for one of the most underrated sci-fi reboots. Hurray, says New Scientist film columnist Bethan Ackerley

How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life Mon, 18 May 2026 17:00:16 +0100 Work, illness, divorce: life is riddled with stressors out of your control. But research is revealing new ways to cope with these challenges and find hope instead of despair

Mercury may have gained all of its unexpected water in a single day Fri, 22 May 2026 19:00:04 +0100 Despite being the closest planet to the sun, Mercury has thick deposits of ice at its poles, and now we may understand the events that formed them over just one Mercurian day

Experimental mRNA vaccine may protect against multiple Ebola viruses Fri, 22 May 2026 18:00:37 +0100 Tests with rodents suggest an mRNA vaccine in development offers protection against three strains of Ebola virus, including the one behind the current crisis

Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet Thu, 21 May 2026 17:13:12 +0100 Artificial intelligence built by OpenAI has cracked a decades-old conjecture by Paul Erdős, which mathematicians have hailed as a monumental moment for AI in mathematics

Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test Wed, 20 May 2026 19:00:56 +0100 Previously classified photos and documents show the scientific work that went into the world's first atomic test in 1945 – a test that, just weeks later, would see nuclear bombs dropped in Japan

Political anger affects the body differently to other forms of anger Fri, 22 May 2026 15:00:13 +0100 We all feel emotions like anger and disgust from time to time, but they seem to cause stronger bodily sensations when they're politically induced

Australia is battling its largest diphtheria outbreak in living memory Fri, 22 May 2026 13:00:25 +0100 Vaccine misinformation, nurse and doctor shortages and crowded living arrangements may be behind soaring rates of diphtheria in remote Indigenous communities in Australia

How a visit to Stonehenge reminded me of deep time Wed, 20 May 2026 19:00:43 +0100 On a visit to the UK, Sydney-based reporter James Woodford visited an archaeological site that was on his bucket list – and experienced a very special moment as the sun set

How ageing on Earth mimics the effects of space travel Fri, 22 May 2026 10:00:50 +0100 Life on the International Space Station may feel distant, but columnist Graham Lawton finds that studying how astronauts experience accelerated ageing could help us fight similar effects on Earth related to sedentary lifestyles, disrupted circadian rhythms and social isolation

Shiver me timbers: Do we have to worry about space pirates now? Wed, 20 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Feedback goes down a "moon warfare" rabbit hole and discovers that some forward-thinkers are making plans to counteract as-yet-hypothetical pirates in space

New Scientist recommends a devastating account of farming honeybees Wed, 20 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Jennie Durant's Bitter Honey is a great exposé of the true cost of industrially farming US honeybees, finds Thomas Lewton. But the book's grim figures of bee death alone may not prompt deep change – how about seeing them as fellow creatures?

Women’s body temperature rises from age 18 to 42 but we don’t know why Wed, 20 May 2026 20:00:46 +0100 Women experience a steady rise in body temperature from their teens to midlife, which may be useful for monitoring ageing and overall health

Putting CO2 into rocks and getting hydrogen out is climate double win Wed, 20 May 2026 18:00:32 +0100 Storing carbon dioxide in rocks while producing hydrogen from them - and perhaps even geothermal power too - could be a double win on the climate front, and several groups are trying to make it happen

Intoxicating and astonishing: Why 'The Selfish Gene' almost never was Wed, 20 May 2026 15:00:25 +0100 Fifty years ago, a draft of Richard Dawkins’s first book landed on book editor Michael Rodgers’s desk – and life was never the same

After news about Oliver Sacks's "lies", we revisit his best-loved book Wed, 20 May 2026 15:00:05 +0100 Last year, The New Yorker revealed the late Sacks's "guilt" about his “falsification” in The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, but is this story about more than just the facts?

We may finally know why dinosaurs like T. rex evolved tiny arms Wed, 20 May 2026 01:01:19 +0100 Five different groups of predatory dinosaurs independently evolved disproportionately small arms, and it seems they did so because their heads became so large and powerful

Solar farm on the ocean outperforms land-based solar in Taiwan Tue, 19 May 2026 17:00:37 +0100 A solar farm in a tidal bay has generated more electricity and profits than a nearby coastal solar farm, but challenges could arise as floating solar moves further offshore

Wind-assisted cargo ships could more than halve shipping emissions Tue, 19 May 2026 14:00:13 +0100 If wind-assisted cargo ships chose routes based entirely on where the winds are better, their fuel use could be cut in half or even completely eliminated

Colossal claims an artificial eggshell will help it bring back the moa Tue, 19 May 2026 13:09:59 +0100 Colossal Biosciences, the company that says it resurrected the dire wolf, now says it has developed artificial eggshells so it can replicate the huge eggs of the moa. Independent experts say this isn't nearly enough to bring back these giant birds

Odd “butterfly” molecule could lead to new parts of the quantum realm Tue, 19 May 2026 11:00:39 +0100 An exotic new molecule is shaped like a butterfly, complete with "wings" made from electrons. The discovery could provide a gateway to completely new parts of the quantum realm

The future of robot armies is here – and it’s not what you think Tue, 19 May 2026 10:00:42 +0100 Robots are becoming more a part of our lives every year, and worries about a robot army rising up have long plagued the technology. But columnist Annalee Newitz talks to nanobot researchers and finds out the real robot army could be a welcome solution to medical or environmental problems

Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved Tue, 19 May 2026 01:01:23 +0100 In central Laos, the landscape is littered with enormous stone jars, some 3 metres high, and we may be closer to understanding how and when they were used

Flotation tanks deployed to combat PTSD after devastating wildfires Mon, 18 May 2026 18:00:00 +0100 Maui in Hawaii experienced some of the worst wildfires in US history in 2023. Amid concerns of a PTSD epidemic, flotation tanks are being deployed to the island to help restore people's mental health

What is love? Even a meeting on the subject can't find the answer Mon, 18 May 2026 17:00:19 +0100 Scientists recently gathered for a conference called Love, Actually and in Theory, but didn't settle on a definition of the topic at hand

The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:26 +0100 The floating ice shelf of world’s widest glacier – Thwaites glacier in Antarctica – is detaching, with worrying implications for global sea-level rise

The 3 things you need to know about protein, according to an expert Mon, 18 May 2026 15:00:57 +0100 Why have so many people become fixated on protein? Donald Layman is one of the people behind the research showing the benefits of getting more protein in your diet, but he thinks things have gone too far and wants to set the record straight

The Ebola emergency shines a light on the urgent need for new vaccines Mon, 18 May 2026 14:11:15 +0100 A little-known strain of Ebola virus is behind an ongoing health emergency, prompting researchers to call for the acceleration of vaccine candidates against such infections

Your body clock has seasonal rhythms and it matters for vaccines Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:51 +0100 We think of our body clock ticking over on a 24-hour cycle, but evidence is growing that it has seasonal rhythms, which could affect our response to vaccines

The hidden pockets of the universe where the future can cause the past Mon, 18 May 2026 10:00:40 +0100 Inside some very special black holes, there may be a boundary called a Cauchy horizon. Columnist Leah Crane explores the place beyond which physics breaks and anything is possible

Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum Wed, 13 May 2026 17:00:40 +0100 After a career spent grappling with the neural underpinnings of autism, Uta Frith is unwavering in her controversial call to scrap our current view of the condition and start again

Can cloud seeding save us from water bankruptcy? Tue, 12 May 2026 17:00:18 +0100 We’ve long tried to control the weather by engineering rainfall. Now such cloud-seeding efforts are escalating, creating conflict between countries and stoking conspiracy theories. But do they work?

Himalayan wolf-dog hybrids emerge as a threat to wolves and people Sat, 16 May 2026 09:00:50 +0100 In Ladakh, Himalayan wolves are increasingly breeding with feral dogs, giving rise to a new animal known as khipshang that could injure humans and outcompete other carnivores

New Scientist recommends a smart new account of human exceptionalism Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Why did humans decide they weren't like other animals, or animals at all? Has this exceptionalism twisted us out of shape? Michael Bond's book Animate offers a page-turning account of where we are now

Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer Mon, 11 May 2026 17:00:51 +0100 The rules governing gravity and other laws of nature seem like eternal truths, but cosmologist João Magueijo has always questioned their origins. Now, he has a bold new proposal

First test of CO2 removal with green sand finds no harm to marine life Fri, 15 May 2026 16:41:05 +0100 Adding olivine to the ocean could remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and a pilot project in New York state found no signs of adverse effects on seafloor organisms

SpaceX is about to launch tallest and most powerful rocket in history Fri, 15 May 2026 16:00:23 +0100 A record-breaking new version of Starship, due to launch within days, could form the basis of NASA's ambitious Artemis programme that aims to put humans back on the moon as soon as 2028

Cleaning up air pollution could weaken vital AMOC ocean current Fri, 15 May 2026 15:40:36 +0100 Global warming already threatens to destabilise the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and new research shows that regional clean-air policies could reduce its strength further

CAR T-cell therapy bolstered by stiffening up cancer cells first Fri, 15 May 2026 11:00:45 +0100 CAR T-cell therapy has been hugely successful in treating certain types of tumours, and stiffening up cancer cells beforehand could make it even more effective

New Scientist recommends visiting the blooming corpse flower at Kew Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

Science doesn't have a monopoly on good ideas Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Scientific disciplines often shy away from asking fundamental "what if" questions. But philosophy – if unencumbered by dogma or ideology – has much to offer evidence-based enquiry

Where do you think your ‘self’ is? Your answer is revealing Fri, 15 May 2026 10:00:47 +0100 People who imagine their self to reside in their head or their heart have different approaches to life. Columnist David Robson explores the benefits of learning to shift where you sense your self, and how this practice could improve your relationships and decision-making

Shocking turtle photo reveals efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:42 +0100 Winner of an environmental photography award, this shot of a sea turtle seen under ultraviolet light shows how forensic evidence is being used to help catch poachers and animal traffickers

Vocal fry is more common in men, actually, find scientists Thu, 14 May 2026 16:40:59 +0100 The creaky noise known as vocal fry that people generally associate with young women – and some find irritating – is actually more common in men

Will burying dead trees after a wildfire keep their carbon locked up? Thu, 14 May 2026 15:00:52 +0100 Partially burnt trees still standing after a wildfire are typically felled and burned, but a US start-up claims burying them instead will trap the carbon underground for centuries

Rebooting stem cells builds aged muscles and assists injury recovery Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:21 +0100 Muscle stem cells, which are crucial for building new muscle, don’t work as well as we get older, but giving them an artificial boost could rejuvenate them

3 things you need to know about quantum computers, from an expert Thu, 14 May 2026 13:00:58 +0100 What use is a quantum computer? Perhaps both more and less than you think, according to quantum computing expert Shayan Majidy

Melting of Greenland ice sheet could release methane 'fire ice' Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:24 +0100 Seismic surveys and sediment cores suggest that dozens of deep pockmarks on the sea floor were created when Arctic methane stores were disrupted by climate change after the last glacial maximum – and scientists warn it could happen again

Suzanne Simard on the wood wide web, connectedness – and Avatar Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Rowan Hooper met ecologist Suzanne Simard under an oak tree in Kew Gardens, London, to talk about her new book, criticism of her work, and getting a call from James Cameron's people

Neanderthals treated a dental cavity by drilling into the tooth Wed, 13 May 2026 20:00:51 +0100 A Neanderthal tooth shows clear signs of human intervention to treat bacterial decay, showing that the earliest dentistry began at least 59,000 years ago

Arctic fires are releasing carbon stored for thousands of years Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:20 +0100 A study of soils around the Arctic and boreal forests has found that some wildfires are releasing carbon stored over millennia, meaning higher CO2 emissions than assumed

Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth Wed, 13 May 2026 17:08:59 +0100 Asteroid 2026JH2 has enough mass to wipe out a city and will zoom past Earth next week

Ancient teeth hint at links between Denisovans and Homo erectus Wed, 13 May 2026 17:00:26 +0100 Six teeth roughly 400,000 years old have yielded some of the first ancient proteins thought to belong to Homo erectus, providing molecular clues to their relationships with other hominins

Natural sunscreen found in fish eggs can be made by E. coli factories Wed, 13 May 2026 17:00:04 +0100 Genetically altered bacteria can synthesise gadusol, a naturally occurring compound found in zebrafish eggs that could be developed as an alternative to existing sunscreen products that can harm marine life

New rules confirm public has a right to see how UK government uses AI Wed, 13 May 2026 13:00:25 +0100 Government departments and other public bodies in the UK must consider requests to release information about AI-produced content, regulators have confirmed. The move follows a successful request by New Scientist for the release of a minister's ChatGPT logs

PCOS has been officially renamed PMOS, and it’s a momentous move Tue, 12 May 2026 11:00:06 +0100 PCOS will now be known as PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome), and for Alice Klein, who has the condition, it's been a long time coming

Why do particle physicists like spending time in fields? Tue, 12 May 2026 11:00:00 +0100 The concept of a field plays a key role in particle physics, but what exactly is it? From its origins in the study of magnetism to the quantum fields of today, columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein goes exploring

Carbon credits are flawed, but they can still help save forests Tue, 12 May 2026 13:00:42 +0100 Carbon credits bought by companies to offset their emissions really have reduced deforestation, but not by as much as credit developers claim, according to a rigorous analysis

A new tectonic plate boundary could be forming in southern Africa Tue, 12 May 2026 06:00:17 +0100 Gases collected from boiling mineral springs in Zambia contain the chemical signature of having come directly from the Earth’s mantle, a sign of a rupture in the tectonic plates and the possible beginning of a new continental boundary

The story of the first human tool: the humble container Mon, 11 May 2026 19:00:56 +0100 An analysis of ancient human artefacts finds that the container, a simple but critical tool, may have originated 500,000 years ago. Columnist Michael Marshall explores how slings, ostrich eggs and wooden trays helped our ancestors survive

Can floating data centres meet AI's huge energy demand? Mon, 11 May 2026 19:00:13 +0100 A US start-up is putting autonomous data centres in the ocean, powered by wave energy, but experts warn that the harsh environment could make maintenance challenging

Huge study of ancient British DNA reveals only minor Roman influence Mon, 11 May 2026 13:00:50 +0100 Genetic analysis of 1039 people buried in Britain between the Bronze Age and the Norman conquest highlights the impact of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings on the island’s ancestry

David Attenborough is one of a kind, for better or worse Wed, 06 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 People often ask who might replace the nature broadcaster, who turns 100 this week. The truth is that he’s irreplaceable, but a wide range of voices are attempting to fill his shoes.

Red-light therapy does have health benefits but not the ones you think Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:51 +0100 Red-light therapy promises to treat everything from acne and hair loss to depression and chronic pain. Many of these claims are overhyped, but evidence suggests it can have healing powers

Tiny 'metajets' could use light to steer sails for interstellar travel Sun, 10 May 2026 08:00:11 +0100 Minuscule silicon wafers propelled by lasers could be used to steer light sails, helping them travel beyond the solar system

The 50-year quest to create a quantum spin liquid may finally be over Tue, 05 May 2026 17:00:58 +0100 Creating quantum entanglement inside a solid material is tricky in the lab – but crystals buried in the earth could be growing it naturally. Now one scientist says he has proof he’s found them

There has been a sudden increase in the rate of sea level rise Fri, 08 May 2026 15:08:55 +0100 Satellite measurements show that in the early 2010s sea level rise suddenly accelerated to a rate of 4.1 millimetres per year, possibly in response to an increase in the rate of global warming

A vast dam across the Bering Strait could stop the AMOC collapsing Sat, 09 May 2026 08:00:42 +0100 If a key ocean current collapses it could plunge northern Europe into a big freeze. Now researchers are weighing up a drastic intervention – building a 130-kilometre-wide dam between the US and Russia

A lost ancient script reveals how writing as we know it really began Mon, 04 May 2026 17:00:56 +0100 A long-overlooked writing system from 5000 years ago is still largely undeciphered, but could mark the moment humans first represented their speech with written words

Neanderthal 'kneeprint' found next to mysterious stalagmite circle Fri, 08 May 2026 11:11:57 +0100 An impression made in clay around 175,000 years ago could be a kneeprint left by one of the builders of a strange stalagmite circle found deep inside Bruniquel cave in south-west France

US government releases huge batch of UFO files Fri, 08 May 2026 19:33:13 +0100 The US Department of Defense has released hundreds of documents and photographs related to UFOs, some of which have been declassified, in the first of many drops to come

Doubling their genomes may have helped plants survive mass extinctions Fri, 08 May 2026 17:00:20 +0100 Many flowering plants have duplicated genomes, which could have helped them evolve to deal with extreme stress in times of environmental upheaval

Fire is spreading in the Chernobyl exclusion zone after drone crash Fri, 08 May 2026 16:07:48 +0100 A drone has crashed in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, causing a fire that has spread to 12 square kilometres of land. Dry weather, strong winds and the presence of land mines are complicating efforts to bring the blaze under control

Slow breathing can calm the mind without any need for mindfulness Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:13 +0100 How important is thinking about your breath for calming yourself down? We now know that slow breathing is effective even without conscious involvement

PCOS postpones perimenopause and allows pregnancies at older ages Thu, 07 May 2026 17:00:01 +0100 Only 3 per cent of those with polycystic ovary syndrome reach perimenopause by the age of 46, which may allow them to conceive when older

New Scientist recommends Attenborough documentary Making Life on Earth Wed, 06 May 2026 19:00:38 +0100 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

The mathematician who doesn’t exist Fri, 08 May 2026 10:00:34 +0100 A secret society of French mathematicians has been revolutionising the field of mathematics under a pseudonym for nearly a century. Columnist Jacob Aron finds that this mythic collective provided maths a rigorous and useful foundation, and did some real harm along the way

Former Soviet scientific megastructures captured in striking photos Wed, 06 May 2026 19:00:28 +0100 Eric Lusito crossed the former Soviet Union to explore vast scientific sites, some of which have been deserted for years, for his new book

Hantavirus outbreak will not cause a covid-style pandemic, says WHO Thu, 07 May 2026 17:40:22 +0100 The World Health Organization sought to quell worldwide fears over the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius and reassure the public that the risk of widespread transmission is low

Coffee's mood-boosting effects aren't just down to caffeine Thu, 07 May 2026 16:00:49 +0100 A comprehensive study exploring coffee’s physiological effects finds that some of its benefits are down to polyphenols and their influence on gut bacteria

What to read this week: the excellent Beyond Belief by Helen Pearson Wed, 06 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Solving society's problems with evidence is a work in progress, argues a must-read new book. The process is surprisingly new – and riddled with complexities, finds Michael Marshall

Where has the deadly hantavirus come from and how does it spread? Tue, 05 May 2026 14:20:10 +0100 Three passengers on the cruise ship MV Hondius have died due to an outbreak of hantavirus, a rare illness transmitted by rodents

The best new popular science books of May 2026 Thu, 07 May 2026 12:00:47 +0100 A guide to walking, a look at the world’s Google searches and a deep dive into the secrets of our DNA are some of the topics tackled by the popular science books out this month

Less nostalgia, more pain: scientists study 1763 Eurovision songs Wed, 06 May 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Feedback discovers that the prevailing themes of Eurovision songs may come and go, but the urge to win stays the same.

What to read this week: The 21st Century Brain by Hannah Critchlow Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0100 Our brains need to adapt quickly to meet the challenges of our digital world, but a rigorous new book by a neuroscientist brings hope that we can do it, says Graham Lawton

Pressure from individual particles measured for the first time Thu, 07 May 2026 07:00:42 +0100 A device made using a tiny bead floating in a beam of light can measure extremely small pressures and could help find a mysterious kind of neutrino

Dating over 50 is probably on the rise – but we know little about it Wed, 06 May 2026 21:00:36 +0100 Research into dating has until now almost exclusively focused on younger people, but we’re finally beginning to investigate how romance changes in later life

Bronze Age Britons fashioned copper-mining tools out of old bones Wed, 06 May 2026 19:00:21 +0100 An analysis of 150 artefacts from a site in Wales shows that the ancient practice of making tools out of bone persisted even after the advent of metal-working

Deforestation could trigger Amazon tipping point in the 2030s Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:19 +0100 At least 15 per cent of the Amazon has already been lost, and further destruction could unleash widespread rainforest dieback with as little as 1.5°C of global warming

Huge landslide in Alaska caused 481m-high tsunami Wed, 06 May 2026 14:00:01 +0100 When the slope of a mountain above Tracy Arm fjord, in Alaska, gave way on 10 August 2025, 64 million cubic metres of rock fell into the fjord, causing a 5.4 magnitude seismic event

Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass is still an essential read Wed, 06 May 2026 13:00:37 +0100 This 2013 book by an Indigenous botanist is a quietly urgent act of healing that forces Western science to look at the world in a different way

Read the winner of this year’s Young Science Writer Award Wed, 06 May 2026 11:00:12 +0100 Prize-winning young writer Hasset Kifle, 17, explores how the world of super-competitive running is being transformed by so-called “super shoes” – and what cost this will have on the sport

Extinct relative of koalas discovered in Western Australia Wed, 06 May 2026 01:01:10 +0100 Fossils reveal that there were at least two kinds of koala when humans first arrived in Australia, but one died out about 30,000 years ago when the west of the continent dried out

Backlash builds over NHS plan to hide source code from AI hacking risk Tue, 05 May 2026 17:00:06 +0100 NHS England is pulling its open-source software from the internet because of fears around computer-hacking AI models like Mythos. Opposition is growing among those who say the move is bad for transparency and efficiency, and will also do nothing to improve security

Woman in cancer remission without treatment in highly unusual case Tue, 05 May 2026 11:00:47 +0100 A biopsy of a woman's cancer seems to have triggered an immune response against the tumour, putting her into remission

The problem of cosmic inflation and how to solve it Tue, 05 May 2026 10:00:50 +0100 One of the best-performing models in cosmology is also one with the least physical rationale behind it. Columnist Leah Crane says this leaves us with a puzzle that could make or break physics as we know it

Man destined for Alzheimer's may have been saved by accidental therapy Tue, 05 May 2026 08:00:29 +0100 Doug Whitney has a genetic mutation that means he should have developed Alzheimer’s disease decades ago, but his long-term work in hot engine rooms may have protected him in a similar way to sauna therapy

Quantum computers simulated their biggest molecule yet – with help Tue, 05 May 2026 06:01:57 +0100 Two quantum computers and two supercomputers teamed up to break the record for the biggest molecule yet to be simulated using quantum hardware

Honey has been used as medicine for centuries – does it really work? Mon, 04 May 2026 17:08:16 +0100 It is appealing to think something as simple as honey could cure a cold or prevent hay fever, but is there evidence to back up honey’s health benefits? Columnist Alice Klein finds that it has legitimate medicinal uses, depending on the type of honey you’ve got